The dense forest was eerily quiet.
Towering ancient trees blocked most of the sunlight, leaving only thin golden rays to filter through the thick canopy. The air was damp with the scent of moss and earth, while distant roars echoed from somewhere deep within the wilderness.
Lin Yuan stood still.
His right hand griped tightly around the hilt of his iron sword.
His breathing was calm.
His eyes remained fixed on the pair of emerald eyes staring at him from the bushes.
Neither side moved.
Gu Chen's words echoed in his mind.
"The moment you enter a Spirit Beast's territory, you're no longer the hunter. You are the intruder. Never rush your first move."
Lin Yuan slowed his breathing even further.
His heartbeat slowing becoming more calm and steady.
The forest itself seemed to hold its breath.
Then they both exploded at the same time
ROAR!!!
The bushes exploded apart.
A gray beast shot toward him like an arrow released from a bow.
Rank One Spirit Beast — Iron Fang Wolf
The creature resembled a wolf, but it was nearly twice the size of an ordinary one.
Dark gray fur covered its body, while black stripes ran along its back.
Its fangs gleamed like polished iron.
Its claws dug deep grooves into the ground with every step.
Most importantly...
A faint but noticeable layer of spiritual qi surrounded its body.
This was a Rank One Spirit Beast.
In the cultivation world, Spirit Beasts were classified according to their strength.
A Rank One Spirit Beast possessed power roughly equal to a cultivator in the Body Tempering Realm.
However, because Spirit Beasts were born with stronger bodies and were always fighting for survival, many were more dangerous than human cultivators of the same realm.
The Iron Fang Wolf lunged.
Its speed shocked Lin Yuan.
"So fast!"
He instinctively leaned backward barely avoiding the claws going for his throat.
But still
Slash!!
One razor-sharp claw sliced through the front of his robe.
A shallow cut appeared across his chest blood slowly dripping from the cut.
The wolf landed lightly before turning around.
It continued circling him again
Not once did it remove its eyes from him.
It wasn't charging recklessly.
It was studying him.
"It has intelligence..."
Lin Yuan thought.
Gu Chen had warned him about this.
Spirit Beasts did not rely solely on instinct or stronger bodies the had a level of intelligence and were far more cunning then ordinary beasts.
The older and stronger they became, the more cunning they were.
Some high-ranking Spirit Beasts were said to possess intelligence equal to humans.
But luckily for for Lin Yuan this was only a rank one spirit beast.
Lin Yuan slowly unsheathed his sword.
The familiar weight steadied his mind.
The Iron Fang Wolf lowered its body again.
Its muscles tightened.
For several breaths...
Neither moved.
Then both attacked at once.
The wolf sprang forward.
Lin Yuan stepped sideways instead of retreating.
The beast's claws narrowly missed his shoulder.
He swung his sword.
Clang!!! It sounded like metal hitting another metal.
Instead of cutting flesh, the blade struck one of the wolf's claws.
Sparks scattered into the air.
The tremendous impact forced Lin Yuan back three steps.
His right arm tingled.
"So this is the strength of a Spirit Beast..."
Even though they were at roughly the same cultivation level, the beast's physical body was far stronger.
If he tried to overpower it directly, he would lose.
"I have to fight smarter."
The wolf circled him once more.
Its green eyes searched for another opening.
Lin Yuan remained patient.
He refused to chase it.
Minutes passed.
Then—
The wolf suddenly disappeared from his sight.
No.
It had simply moved too quickly.
Lin Yuan reacted purely on instinct.
He twisted his body.
The wolf flashed past his left side.
Its fangs snapped shut only inches from his neck.
Now!!!
Using the wolf's own momentum against it, Lin Yuan spun and delivered a powerful horizontal slash.
Slash!
Blood sprayed onto the grass.
Lin Yuan expected the sword to go deeper, but at the end the beast reacted slightly twisting it's body to avoid the sword severing it's next.
A deep wound opened across the wolf's shoulder.
The beast stumbled.
Its breathing became heavier.
Instead of retreating...
It became even more ferocious.
A beast at the end was still and still even if a spirit beast,only the higher level beast had the intelligence comparable to humans.
So when it saw its own blood and feeling the pain on its body,The wounded wolf let out a furious howl.
It abandoned caution.
Its entire body shot toward Lin Yuan in a desperate attack.
Lin Yuan saw his chance.
Instead of dodging...
He stepped forward.
The wolf opened its jaws to bite.
Lin Yuan thrust his sword straight ahead.
The blade entered through the beast's open mouth.
Crunch!
The tip emerged from the back of its neck.
The wolf's body froze.
Its eyes slowly lost their light.
With a heavy thud...
It collapsed onto the forest floor.
Silence returned.
Lin Yuan did not relax immediately.
Gu Chen had taught him another important lesson.
"Never assume your enemy is dead until you've confirmed it."
He waited several breaths.
Only after the wolf stopped moving completely did he approach.
Using his sword, he carefully opened the beast's chest.
Nestled near its heart was a crystal the size of a walnut.
It glowed with a faint green light.
"So this is a Beast Core..."
Beast Cores
Every Spirit Beast possessed a Beast Core.
A Beast Core was formed after years of absorbing the spiritual qi of heaven and earth.
It contained the essence of the beast's cultivation.
Beast Cores were valuable resources.
Alchemists refined them into pills.
Weapon smiths embedded them into spiritual weapons.
Formation Masters used them to power arrays.
For Azure Cloud Sect's entrance examination, every Beast Core collected counted as proof of a candidate's ability.
The more Beast Cores one obtained...
The higher one's final ranking.
Lin Yuan wiped the blood from the crystal before placing it into his storage pouch.
One Beast Core.
One step closer to joining Azure Cloud Sect.
Just as he stood—
A desperate scream echoed through the forest.
"Help!"
Another voice followed.
"Someone... save me!"
The cries abruptly stopped.
Lin Yuan frowned.
The sounds hadn't come from far away.
He looked toward the deeper forest.
Should he ignore them?
Or investigate?
He remembered Elder Mo's warning.
Candidates were allowed to compete.
Some would even rob each other.
After a moment's hesitation, Lin Yuan made his decision.
"I'll go."
"But if it's beyond my strength..."
"I'll retreat immediately."
Keeping his aura concealed, he moved silently through the trees.
The smell of blood gradually grew stronger.
Soon, he reached a small clearing.
Hiding behind a massive tree trunk, he looked ahead.
Three candidates surrounded a lone young man.
The leader was Li Tian—the youth with the Seventh-Grade Fire Spirit Vein, one of the most talented participants in the examination.
Standing opposite him was Zhao Feng.
His long spear had snapped in half.
Blood stained his robes.
Several Beast Cores lay scattered across the ground.
Li Tian casually picked them up and tossed them into his own pouch.
A cruel smile spread across his face.
"You fought well."
"But talent isn't everything."
"Hand over the rest."
Zhao Feng gritted his teeth.
Hidden among the trees, Lin Yuan's grip tightened around the hilt of his own sword.
The true danger of the Spirit Beast Forest...
Was not the beasts.
It was the hearts of men.
Dream on."
Li Tian's smile vanished.
He slowly drew his sword.
"Then don't blame me."
He slowly raised the sword.